Mechanism for applying reenforcing wire to clothespins



Jan. 16, 1934. J. R. NOLAN MECHANISM ron APPLYING BEENFORCING WIRE TOCLOTHESP/INS Filed Sept. 50, 19:52 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ING WIRE T0CLOTHES?INS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 16, 1934 UNITED STATESMECHANISM FOR APPLYING REENFORCING WIRE TO CLOTHESPINS John R. Nolan,New York, N. Y.

Application September 30, 1932 Serial No. 635,485

3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for applying reenforcing wire tobifurcated wooden clothespins; having reference more especially toimprovements in the wire-bending mechanism disclosed in my LettersPatent of the United States No. 1,799,698, dated April '7, 1931.

The particular machine shown and described in the aforementioned patentembodies, amongst other things, means for successively advancingclothespins to a wire applying station; wire feeding means operative todeliver a predetermined length of reenforcing wire across the path ofeach succeeding clothespin adjacent the crotch of the pin;vertically-reciprocative cutting and bending mechanism including acutter blade operative to sever a wire length, and also a pair ofcomplementary jaw members operative to bend the wire around theclothespin with the free ends of the wire extending radially beyond thespace between the legs of the clothespin, and a twister havingnormally-open jaws operable to grip the extending ends of the wire andtwist them tightly together and close to the body of the clothespin, aswill more fully appear by reference to said Letters Patent.

The principal object of the present invention is to modify theconstruction of the wire bending mechanism in order to simplify the sameand to increase its efliciency; and to this end the invention comprisesnovel mechanism whereby a drawing action on the wire close to the bodyof the clothespin is positively effected as the wire is being appliedthereto; which mechanism in a preferred form will be hereinafterdescribed; the scope of the. invention then being expressed in theappended claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wire cutting andbending head embodying the principle of my invention, showing thecutting blade and the bending fingers, together with a pin-centering andwire-clamping element, in position above the path of the clothespin, andalso showing the transversely extending wire on the latter.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, as on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wire bending fingers andaccessories, showing their position in relation to a clothespin andwire.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section at right angles to Fig. 2 through the wirecutting and bending head, showing the headjpartially lowered and itscentering and wire clamping members in engaging relation to theclothespin and wire.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the head farther depressed and the wiresevered and bent into U-form upon the top and sides of the clothespin.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the head at the limit of its down oractive stroke, and the wire thereby bent to encircle the clothespin.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates an elongated channel structurealong which bifurcated clothespins (C), end to end, are intermittentlyadvanced in timed relation to mechanisms whereby predetermined lengthsof reenforcing wire (W) are drawn from a suitable reel and eachsucceeding length is positioned transversely of a clothespin adjacentthe crotch of the legs, and whereby such wire length is severed and bentaround the clothespin with the free ends of the wire projecting radiallyoutward.

The wire cutting and bending mechanism illustrated includes a cross-head11 having a depending blade 12 and bending members 13, mounted forrelative vertical reciprocation across the path of the wire above theclothespin in such manner that in the descent of the head the bladesevers a predetermined length of wire and the members 13 then bend ittightly around the clothespin with the free ends (so) of the wireprojecting radially outward in a position to be readily gripped andtightly twisted by a rotary gripper.

The cross-head, which is operated by a depending plunger 14 under thecontrol of a suitable cam, carries a relatively fixed housing 15 throughwhich extends a vertically-movable axial rod 16 terminating in a footportion 17 which, in the initial descent of the cross-head, bears uponthe midportion of the wire length and clamps it against the body of theclothespin. This foot portion has a V-shaped heel 18 which enters theslot of the clothespin when the rod 16 is down, thus properlypositioning the slot with respect to the wire. The rod, which isprovided with an external head 19, is normally raised by means of aspring 20 contained in the housing. The associated parts are soconstructed and arranged that when the housing is at the limit of itsupward movement the top of the housing bears against the head 19 andmaintains the rod in raised position with its foot spaced above theunderlying wire and clothespin, and when the housing is initiallylowered the spring supported rod is moved therewith until the foot andits heel respectively engage the wire and the clothespin, whereupon thehousing continues its descent against the action of the spring, asdescribed in Patent No. 1,799,698 aforesaid.

In the previous construction the wire bending members comprised a pairof oppositely-extending complementary semi-circular jaws which wereco-axiallypivoted at their inner ends to the lower end of the rod'16,and were pivotally connected intermediate their ends to the lower end ofthe housing by means of links, the relative mounting of the associatedparts being such that when the rod was raised the jaws were in openposition with their outer end faces slightly above and near the ends ofthe wire, and that when the rod was depressed, immediately after thewire had been severed by the cutter, the jaws were forced downward andagainst the opposing wire in a manner to cause it to encircle theclothespin, with the free end portions of the wire depending below thecontiguous faces of the closed jaws.

In the present construction the bending members and the actuating meanstherefor are modified in certain particulars with the View ofsimplifying the construction and improving the bending operation, aswill now be described.

As illustrated the bending members 13 comprise a pair of spaced pendantfingers pivoted at their upper ends, as at 22, to diametricallyoppositelugs 23 on the lower end of the housing, and having in the lowerportions of their inner faces oppositely-disposed semi-circularconcavities 24 which are shaped to embrace and partially encircle thebody of an interposed clothespin when the fingers are closed. The lowerinner faces 25 of the fingers when closed are radially disposed withrespect to the clothespin and are provided with complementary wirereceiving grooves or channels 26.

The fingers when positioned above the wire and the underlying clothespinfr ely depend gravity with their lower acting faces spaced apart onlyslightly in excess of the diameter of the clothespin, as seen in Fig. 4,which spaced relation is ensured by the contact of the fiat upper ends27 of the fingers against the opposing bottom surface of the housing. Ifdesired spring pressure devices for the fingers may be used, but suchdevices have been found unnecessary in the practical operation of themachine, even at high speed.

The pivot pins 22 for the upper ends of the bending fingers areprojected at opposite sides of the respective fingers, and theprojections have fixed thereto inwardly extending tappet arms The lowerportion of the rod 16 has laterallyprojecting studs 29 which areconveniently formed by the ends of a cross-pin extending through therod. These studs are so disposed below the arms that when the housing isdepressed, while the rod is supported on the underlying clothespin, thearms simultaneously abut against the respective studs in a manner toswing the fingers forcibly inward.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the rod 16 is supported byits foot upon the underlying clothespin, as seen in Fig. i, and thehousing is depressed against the action of the spring 20, the lowerportions of the fingers l3 bear upon the opposing wire and hug the bodyof the clothespin, thus positively bending the wire into a 0 -form whichtightly embraces the clothespin, as seen in 6. As the housing continuesits descent, the -formaticn of the wire and its hugging relation to theclothespin are maintained by the channeled acting faces of the fingersuntil the arms 28 bear against and are swung upward by the studs 29,thus forcibly closing the concave portions of the fingers against thewire and the clothespin in a manner to draw the wire tightly around theclothespin and bring the free depending ends (at) of the wire into closeparallel relation, as seen in Fig. 6.

As a simple and eflicient means to prevent the abnormal descent of therod 16 in the absence of a clothespin beneath the foot member 17 of therod, the channel structure 10 is provided with a suitably-disposed stop30 against which the overhanging stud 29 on the rod abuts, thusobviating all liability of such member impinging against the underlyinggripper.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction herein disclosed, as the same may be modifiedwithin the principle or" the invention and the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim-- l. Mechanism for bending reenforcing wire about a clothespin,comprising two associated members independently reciprocablelongitudinally of each other, normally-open wire-bending fingerssupported by one of said members to extend longitudinally of and embracethe adja cent portion of the other member, said fingers having actingend portions, means limiting the outward movement of the fingers toenable the said end portions in the first part of the active stroke ofthe fingers to hug a clothespin and thereby bend the opposing wire intoU-fcrm and against the opposite sides of the clothespin, and co-actingmeans on the fingers and on said adjacent pcrtion of other member forforcibly closing the ling-es during the rel raining part of the activestroke to the wire uniformly into close ling relation to the clothespin.

2. Mechanism for bending reenforcing wire about a clothespin, comprisingtwo relatively movable members, the path of one of which is opposed by aclothespin, normally-open wirebending supported by the other member andhaving acting end portions and complementary concave surfaces adjacentthereto, means limiting the outward movement of the fingers to enablethe said end portions in the partial active stroke of the fingers to hugthe clothespin and thereby bend the opposing wire into Ll-fcrm andagainst the opposing sides of the clothespin, and means for forciblyclosing the fingers to draw the wire uniformly into close relation tothe clothespin during the completion of the active stroke, saidlast-named means comprising tappet members connected with the respective fin ers, abutment'means in the path of said tappet members.

3. Mechanism for bending reenforcing wire about a clothespin, comprisingtwo relatively movable members, the path of one of which is opposed by aclothespin, normally-open wirebending fingers pivoted to the othermember and having acting end portions and complementary concave surfacesadjacent thereto, means limiting the outward movement of the fingers toenable the said ends in the partial active stroke of the fingers to hugthe clothespin and thereby bend the opposing wire into U-form andagainst the opposing sides of the clothespin, and means for forciblyclosing the fingers during a later part of the active stroke to draw thewire uniformly into close relation to the clothespin,

said last-named means comprising inwardly extending arms on thepivots ofthe respective fingers, and arm-abutment means arranged on thefirst-named member.

JOHN R. NOLAN.

